The Amazon review of Aug. 1, 2018 by Andrew Love is probably the definitive Amazon review of this book (thus far). The only things I can add to that review are as follows. (1) At some points (e.g., Ch. 7 regarding planetary motions) the narrative gets a bit dry in tracing the historical background. I can see where the author is going (i.e., trying to establish what was within the realm of knowledge of the ostensible Greek maker of the device circa 70 BC), but it can get a bit tedious. (2) The descriptions of the device itself are generally very good, with the exception of the description of the epicyclic gearing at pgs 216-222, and the accompanying figures (Figs. 8.17, 8.20 & 8.21). However, an internet search on “epicyclic pin-and-slot gear” provides useful links to video clips which show how this gearing works. Basically, the epicyclic gear is mounted on an offset axis so that the rate of rotation of this gear varies as the gear spins around this offset axis (thus mimicking the elliptical orbit of the moon). The pin-and-slot configuration is used to ensure that the epicyclic gear maintains engagement with the driving gear during this “wobbly” rotation by alternately pulling and then pushing the epicyclic gear respectively towards, and then away from, the driving gear.
What makes the Antikythera Mechanism truly amazing are: (1) the ability of the maker to fabricate a device which modeled the solar system (with reasonable accuracy) based upon on a fundamentally flawed understanding of the solar system (i.e., the geocentric model); and (2) the level of fabrication skill that was available to the maker of this device over 2000 years ago. We like to think of meticulous mechanical fabrication, and astronomical observation, as being something that has developed over only the last 500 years or so. But the fact that the Antikythera Mechanism was fabricated over 2000 years ago, and incorporated scientific theories regarding the workings of the cosmos at that time, should give us pause to consider that perhaps our ancestors were smarter that we give them credit for. Unfortunately most of that knowledge and skill was lost in the dark ages (about 200 AD to 1500 AD). We stand where we are today by the benefit of accumulated knowledge since about 1500 AD, but we should also stand in admiration of those who went before us over 2000 years ago who were the true pioneers of science.
What is profound about this book is the warning from Ptolemy (pg. 245) that “it could be misleading to … judge that an astronomical hypothesis was false because one could not make a working model of it in the workshop.” The same applies equally today with respect to mathematical models of the universe – they are only models, and lack profound understanding of the underlying workings.
While there are other books available on the subject of the Antikythera Mechanism (and I confess that I have not read any of them), this book was sufficient for me to understand the history of the artifact itself, its mechanical features, and the historical background behind its manufacture. It is rare that I don’t end up buying at least two more books as a result of reading a first book on a topic, but in this case the current book satisfied all of my desires to learn about the Antikythera Mechanism.
As a final comment, the “Glossary” (pgs. 247-251) is very helpful in providing definition of important terms (such as “Callippic” and “station”).
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